The Vicious Babushka

President Barack Obama Arrives in Israel

Air Force One at Ben-Gurion Airport

Shalom.  President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and most of all, to the people of Israel, thank you for this incredibly warm welcome. This is my third visit to Israel so let me just say tov lihiyot shuv ba’aretz..

I’m so honored to be here as you prepare to celebrate the 65th anniversary of a free and independent State of Israel. Yet I know that in stepping foot on this land, I walk with you on the historic homeland of the Jewish people.

More than 3,000 years ago, the Jewish people lived here, tended the land here, prayed to God here. And after centuries of exile and persecution, unparalleled in the history of man, the founding of the Jewish State of Israel was a rebirth, a redemption unlike any in history.

Today, the sons of Abraham and the daughters of Sarah are fulfilling the dream of the ages — to be “masters of their own fate” in “their own sovereign state.” And just as we have for these past 65 years, the United States is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally and your greatest friend.

Read more at Haaretz.

13 Annoying Things Most People Assume About Orthodox Jews

Because Juice are scary!

You likely base your knowledge of Orthodox Jews on ridiculous caricatures which were dreamed up in Hollywood and the headlines that capture the worst in our community. It's time to straighten things out.

By JewintheCity

1. You guys have sex through a hole in the sheet, right?

No, but I've been asked this numerous times — once even by my cleaning lady. Which is pretty funny because she's SEEN my sheets. I'm thinking,"Hey, lady, you make my bed! Ever seen any hole anywhere? Nuh-uh? It's cause we don't got 'em!" People assume that because we're outwardly modest that our modesty continues behind closed doors. It doesn't. (News flash: We also shower like regular people!) It's a big mitzvah for a husband and wife to be together — and not just for procreation. A wife's sexual satisfaction is actually part of her marital contract, and if her husband doesn't fulfill his end of the deal, it's grounds for divorce. Don't assume that because you don't see us being overtly sexual we aren't doing so in private places. That's the point: We believe these matters are *private.*

2. You wear a wig? Oh, so then you shave your head, right?

No, actually, I don't. And none of my friends who cover their hair do either. It's only a small segment of the Hasidic community that does. Why do I cover my hair in the first place, then, and with *gasp* a wig that makes me look beautiful? Well, that's a longer discussion than we have time for in BuzzFeed land, but I'll keep it simple: Jewish modesty is not about looking unattractive, it's about keeping certain parts of yourself private. The wig creates a barrier between me and the rest of the male population, and there's only one man who can cross that barrier. Again, there's no space to do the topic justice, but let's get one thing straight, folks: If you see a wig, assume there's hair underneath, because there usually is.

3. You're a woman, so you're subjugated, right?

No. I'm not, and I don't think any of the women in my community are either. But of course there are SOME subjugated Orthodox women in the world because there are jerky men everywhere including in the Orthodox world. Orthodox Jews have many shared values with second-wave feminists, and the vast majority of Orthodox women that I've come across feel respected and are choosing their way of life. Does Judaism consider men and women to be different physically, emotionally, and spiritually? Heck, yeah! But different in a yin-and-yang sort of way, not a in a Coke-Pepsi sort of way (Coke clearly being the superior of the two). Orthodox Jews are second-wave feminists. We believe in celebrating women's unique womanhood, not trying to make her more like a man.

But don't take my word for it! Go out and meet some Orthodox Jewish women yourself and see directly from them how they're treated. You can come to us for Shabbos, if you'd like. (Did I mention that my husband is an excellent cook?! ;) )

4. You're a woman, so you don't work, right?

Actually, I do. And most of us do. I once literally had a fight with a reporter from a major news outlet about this because she wouldn't believe me. She had no real knowledge of the Orthodox community, yet she INSISTED that Orthodox women don't (and can't) work. She noted at one point that "maybe my secular bias is getting in the way." (Ya think?!) When she finally conceded that Orthodox women could work, she asked, "Well, what do they do — run shops?" *Eye roll.* "Well," I began, "Some run shops, and some run companies" (like Rickie Freeman, CEO of Teri Jon). "And some run hospital departments" (like Dr. Laurel Steinherz, director of pediatric cardiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering.) "And some run legal cases at major law firms" (like Lydia Kess, a Hasidic Jew who was the first *female* partner at Davis Polk — one of the most prestigious law firms in the country). And frankly, there's more Orthodox Jewish woman - from all walks of Orthodox life — excelling in so many more professions than I even have space to mention. [Such as Vicious Babushka, who works in the auto industry--VB]

Read more at Buzzfeed.

George Washington Never Said That! The Zombie Fake Quotes That Can't Be Killed!

Bogus quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson, attributed here to LOLCat.

Various quotations, attributed to famous people, are frequently cited on The Internet in support of this or that popular cause. This in itself is a logical fallacy, the "Appeal to Authority." The argument is, "This famous person supports our cause! So how can you not support our cause? Do you know more than this famous person?" The argument fails if the famous person being quoted is not an acknowledged authority on the subject, or if there is disagreement among authorities, or if the famous person's quotation is taken out of context. The argument certainly fails is the famous person never even said what is attributed to him.

Here is a sample of some of the bogus quotations that are being circulated, mostly on Twitter and Facebook, attributed to various of the United States "founding fathers" on the subject of gun control.

1. "Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." Attributed to Thomas Jefferson (spoofed above in LOLCat.)

Monticello.org has this to say:

Earliest known appearance in print: No appearances in print found.

Earliest known appearance in print, attributed to Thomas Jefferson: See above.

Other attributions: None known.

Status: We have not found any evidence that Thomas Jefferson said or wrote, "Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not."

The pro-gun website SAF.org sourly has this to say about the fake Jefferson quotes: "Thomas Jefferson has many confirmed quotes on our website. Why anyone felt it necessary to make up a quote is ludicrous. Maybe an anti-gunner did it to discredit all the real quotes."

2. "A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."--George Washington.

This is the Zombie Fake Quote that can't be killed! What makes it so pernicious is that Washington did say something very similar, but the Fake Quote has been manipulated in order to give it a meaning that is quite different from the original context. Here is the authentic Washington quote:

"A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies."

The original quotation shows that Washington clearly intended a country to have industrial independence. The bogus, manipulated quotation attempts to insinuate that people need to have weapons in order to resist their own government, a sentiment that Washington clearly did not share when he forcibly put down the Whisky Rebellion and Shay's Rebellion.

3. "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence. The church, the plow, the prairie wagon, and citizen's firearms are indelibly related. From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable." --another bogus George Washington quote.

Guncite.com, a pro-2nd Amendment website, warned its supporters to avoid using this fake quote. Of course nobody listens to them, this bogus quotation is all over the Internet.

This quotation, sometimes called the "liberty teeth" quote, appears nowhere in Washington's papers or speeches, and contains several historical anachronisms: the reference to "prairie wagon" in an America which had yet to even begin settling the Great Plains (which were owned by France at the time), the reference to "the Pilgrims" which implies a modern historical perspective, and particularly the attempt by "Washington" to defend the utility of firearms (by use of statistics!) to an audience which would have used firearms in their daily lives to obtain food, defend against hostile Indians, and which had only recently won a war for independence.

The "99 99/100 percent" is also an odd phrase for 18th century America, which tended not to use fractional percentages. It's clear that "Washington" is addressing "gun control" arguments which wouldn't exist for another couple of centuries, not to mention doing so in a style that is uncharacteristic of the period, and uncharacteristic of Washington's addresses to Congress, both of which exhibited a high degree of formality.

4. "1935 will go down in History! For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient and the world will follow our lead to the future!"--Attributed to Adolf Hitler IM"S.

From our friends at SAF.org:

This passage sometimes features different punctuation and slight wording changes including a beginning of, ‘For the first time in history, a....’ Various citations include: Adolf Hitler, April 15, 1935, in address to the Reichstag; Adolf Hitler 1935 'Berlin Daily' (Loose English Translation) April 15th, 1935 Page 3 Article 2 by Einleitung Von Eberhard Beckmann -"Abschied vom Hessenland!". "Adolf" is sometimes misspelled as ‘Adolph’ on the Internet.

While the above 'quote' makes a nice T-shirt, there are numerous problems with this alleged statement. (1) It violates the rule of not beginning a sentence with a number. (2) It isn’t phrased in Hitler’s style. (3) Major changes to the German gun laws occurred in 1928 and 1931 (under the Weimar Republic) and in 1938 (under the Nazi’s). No significant changes happened in the gun registration laws in 1935. Furthermore, the changes in 1928 and 1931 were designed to disarm the Nazis and Communists and therefore it is doubtful that Hitler would trumpet the success of any law aimed at his goon squads.

Until then, please click here for some proven Nazi Quotes. (Coming soon)
[Link never provided!--VB]

5. "It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the vote!"--attributed to Josef Stalin.

This one is obviously bogus for a number of reasons. First, Stalin did not speak English, and would not have made a pun in English, but which makes no sense in Russian. Second, votes were not counted in Stalin's Soviet Union. All votes were for the Party, Stalin always received 100% of the vote. 

A similar quote was actually said by William M. "Boss" Tweed, a corrupt 19th-century New York political lord. "As long as I count the vote, what are you going to do about it?" Why don't right-wingers quote "Boss" Tweed? Maybe they don't even know who he was.

6. "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot lift the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."--attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Frequently quoted by those who would deny government benefits such as food stamps to poor people.

These silly little aphorisms were actually composed by William John Henry Boetcker, some dude that nobody ever heard of. He seems to have been a 19th-Century Bryan J. Fischer. The first person to mistakenly attribute this collection to Lincoln was none other than everybody's affable granddaddy Ronald Reagan. Snopes has the whole story.

How can you tell if a quote attributed to a famous person is fake?

Generally speaking the rule to identifying Fake Quotes is:

1. If it's on The Internet it is probably fake. (however real quotes have occasionally, although rarely, been found on The Internet)

2. If it's in a book, it is probably authentic. However fake quotes have also appeared in print before there was The Internet.

If you come across any quotes that you think might be bogus, please share them!

Kosher Wine Evolves From Cheap Syrup to Collectible Vintage

Napa vineyard

The syrupy kosher wines of the past are now the exception to the rules: in recent years, a number of producers have begun making classic red and white kosher wines; a pioneer was Herzog Wine Cellars in Southern California, and there also is a growing wine industry in Israel.

If you remember when kosher wine meant mostly cheap and sweet, you probably also know that the second part is no longer true. Today, there are plenty of quality kosher wines being made around the world.

But did you also know that kosher wine has come so far there now are even super-premium bottles that go for more than $100 a bottle?

"It's absolutely amazing how it's evolved," says Michael K. Bernstein, owner of The Cask in Los Angeles, which stocks and sells exclusively kosher wines and spirits. "It's mind-boggling how many different kosher wines there are."

The syrupy kosher wines of the past stemmed mainly from economics. Jewish immigrants to America needed wine, a crucial part of their religious traditions, but didn't have access to high-quality grapes. So they used the Concord grapes that grow in the Northeast, producing wines with an unpleasant character, usually describe as "foxy," which was masked by adding sugar.

But in recent years, a number of producers have begun making classic red and white kosher wines. A pioneer was Herzog Wine Cellars in Southern California, and there also is a growing wine industry in Israel.

Making wine kosher isn't particularly hard, says Jeff Morgan, winemaker at Covenant, a winery in the Napa Valley that makes a kosher cabernet sauvignon that goes for $90 a bottle. The ingredients in wine are kosher; the trick is to keep things that way.

The basic requirement for doing that is to make sure that the grape juice and fermented wine is only touched or handled by Sabbath-observant Jews, which is what happens at Covenant, where associate winemaker Jonathan Hajdu is a Sabbath-observant Jew.

Read more at Haaretz.

No Bread for POTUS! Obama Will Keep Kosher-for-Passover on Israel Visit

It's Matzah!

The King David will roll out the carpet, but hold the rolls. With the hotel in a security lockdown, all the food necessary for the trip and the prosperous Pesach crowd to follow is being stored in containers out back.

When U.S. President Barack Obama said yes to a long-overdue visit next week, his first since becoming president in 2008, it’s not clear that he knew what he was getting himself into. Gastronomically, anyway. The entire King David Hotel, where he’ll be staying with an entourage that will fill all 233 rooms from Wednesday March 20 to Friday March 22, will be made kosher for Passover (Pesach) ahead of his visit.

Were the staff of Israel’s most famous hotel to have waited until Obama and his team departs next Friday, it simply wouldn’t have left the King David enough time to get ready for the holiday, which is an enormously important time for nearly every hotel in the Jewish state – especially in Jerusalem.

“We’re used to hosting heads of state and also American presidents, but this situation is very special for us because it’s so close to Pesach,” says hotel manager Dror Danino. “For us it will be double the preparations.” The additional security necessary for ensuring the president’s safety means that the entire hotel will be “under siege,” as he put it, meaning that everything necessary for servicing the hotel during the president’s visit must be there in advance of his arrival – from food to linens. As such, the hotel had to rent out huge refrigerated containers and park them out back, just to accommodate all the food and drink that won’t be able to be delivered during the visit – and which will be needed for the well-heeled Passover guests who will arrive straight after Obama and stay through the following week.

Read more at Haaretz.

NJ Jewish Mother Arrested--And Her Guns Confiscated!-- After Disrupting Community Meeting

Mrs. Hart

Eileen Hart and her husband, Keith, are property owners in Newfield, New Jersey.

On Saturday, March 9 there was an informal meeting at the Gloucester Community Center, to discuss the findings on "revaluations" by Appraisal Systems, Inc.- a company which has been contracted by the state of New Jersey- to assess the fair market property values for each county or borough- for the tax assessor's offices.

There has been much derision caused by these "revaluations" by homeowners, because property values have fallen dramatically- and the real estate market has been hit very hard . There is nothing "fair" about the market or the home values that have been assessed, according to many New Jersey families.

Ms. Hart attended the meeting, armed with- as she said "her Constitution and the facts."

Said Hart "I tried to express my opinion and tell them that my Constitutional rights had been violated. I began quoting the Constitution, line by line.

Ms. Hart tried to explain, that Appraisal Systems, Inc. was attempting to inspect her property without her husband being present. As an Orthodox Jew, this is against the tenets of her religion. Her husband had to be present. According to Ms. Hart, she was unable to express this concern.

A representative of Appraisal Systems, Inc. -(<List of Appraisal System Employees at this link)apparently took offense to her objections and brought in Robyn Glocker-Hammond, the Tax Assessor - who stated that her job was to "enforce the law."

(This writer was under the impression that Tax Collectors collected taxes. They are NOT "law enforcement." But then, I am not a Tax Collector in New Jersey. )

Relates Hart: "She also wouldn't let me speak and told me to sit down and shut up and listen as well. That's when the young man came toward me. I knew he was going to put his hands on me. I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I said to him "Don't you dare touch me." Then they threw us out of the auditorium. The young man from Appraisal Systems, Inc. was the one going postal, and I believe if HE HAD A GUN, he would have shot me, Keith and Khloe on the spot. I was calm the entire time."

When the Harts left the gathering, they were followed into the parking lot of the community center, and the same young man who had been so upset by Ms. Hart's comments in the community center, started screaming and shouting at her, took down the license plate number of her vehicle and said - "See if you are able to pay your property taxes NOW!"

Eileen didn't understand what that shouted threat meant, until she returned to her home with her family.

When they arrived, there were 5 police cars from the Franklinville Police Department. They advised her that the Clayton Police wanted to talk to her about the allegations.

States Hart "For the record, both the police officers DID acknowledge that it was "an allegation."

Her purse was taken from her and she was put into a "paddy wagon," transported to the police station-

Her young daughter witnessed the events and was traumatized to see her mother being treated like a common criminal.

[VB: And now comes the fun part:]

She was arrested and booked for "terroristic threats" and "contempt."

At the police station, she was handcuffed to a chair.

The cops ran a background check- and it revealed that she had absolutely NO criminal record. It also showed that she was the lawful owner of two hand guns. She was advised to turn in the guns over to the court (surrendered or confiscated) - and they would be held for "safe keeping." If she did not- she was told by the police- her bail would be VERY high. And- if she could not make the bail- she would sit in the county jail until an unknown date.

The complaint (in part) states: The State of New Jersey vs. Eileen B. Hart -"The Defendant was yelling and screaming and making the threatening comment. "If the door is locked. I'll be back with a gun."

Ms. Hart denies she ever made this statement, as does her husband, Keith. However, this is how the complaint was written up by Clayton County Sergeant J. Dick- who, it may be noted, was not present during the meeting.

She surrendered her guns and was released on her own recognizance.

Read more at Examiner.com.

This story is currently making the rounds at Breitbart, GatewayPundit and the rest of the usual "Constitution" and "Gun-Lovers" crowd.

We assume that this event took place after sundown on Saturday night, and that Mrs. Hart did not bring her guns to the meeting.

Re-evaluations of the property may have been to inspect property damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

People who do not keep order at public meetings should be escorted from the premises.

Virus of the Caribbean: Curse of the Carnival Cruise Buffet

Vision of the Seas, Renamed to Virus of the Seas

By Phil Wahba and Martinne Geller

March 8 (Reuters) - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said on Friday that its Vision of the Seas ship arrived in Port Everglades, Florida after 108 people fell sick with a gastrointestinal illness believed to be caused by a norovirus.

Royal Caribbean shares were down 2.9 percent at $34.35 in afternoon trading, while Carnival shares slipped 1.5 percent to $35.69.

The incident was the latest black eye for the cruise industry trying to find its footing again after several high profile mishaps.

Royal Caribbean said those sickened have responded to the over-the-counter medicine they were given. Some 105 of 1,991 passengers and 3 crew members of 772 aboard fell ill.

Norovirus outbreaks are fairly frequent on cruise ships. In December, some 194 passengers and 11 crew members aboard the luxury cruise ship Queen Mary 2 were sickened and suffered from vomiting and diarrhea.

In 2012, including the Queen Mary 2 incident, a total of 16 outbreaks on cruise ships were reported to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, up from 14 in 2011. Vessels are required to notify the agency when 2 percent of those on board develop a gastrointestinal illness.

Last month, thousands of passengers spent nearly five days on a disabled cruise ship operated by Carnival Corp in the Gulf of Mexico.

Carnival's Triumph was returning to Galveston, Texas from Cozumel, Mexico, on the third day of a four-day cruise when an engine-room fire knocked out power and plumbing across most of the ship.

In January 2012, the Costa Concordia, also operated by Carnival Corp, ran aground off the Italian coast and killed 32 passengers.

Read more at Huffington Post.

The Holocaust: Far More Horrible Than Anyone Ever Imagined

Brody ghetto, one of thousands where people perished.

THIRTEEN years ago, researchers at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum began the grim task of documenting all the ghettos, slave labor sites, concentration camps and killing factories that the Nazis set up throughout Europe.

What they have found so far has shocked even scholars steeped in the history of the Holocaust.

The researchers have cataloged some 42,500 Nazi ghettos and camps throughout Europe, spanning German-controlled areas from France to Russia and Germany itself, during Hitler’s reign of brutality from 1933 to 1945.

The figure is so staggering that even fellow Holocaust scholars had to make sure they had heard it correctly when the lead researchers previewed their findings at an academic forum in late January at the German Historical Institute in Washington.

“The numbers are so much higher than what we originally thought,” Hartmut Berghoff, director of the institute, said in an interview after learning of the new data.

“We knew before how horrible life in the camps and ghettos was,” he said, “but the numbers are unbelievable.”

The documented camps include not only “killing centers” but also thousands of forced labor camps, where prisoners manufactured war supplies; prisoner-of-war camps; sites euphemistically named “care” centers, where pregnant women were forced to have abortions or their babies were killed after birth; and brothels, where women were coerced into having sex with German military personnel.

Auschwitz and a handful of other concentration camps have come to symbolize the Nazi killing machine in the public consciousness. Likewise, the Nazi system for imprisoning Jewish families in hometown ghettos has become associated with a single site — the Warsaw Ghetto, famous for the 1943 uprising. But these sites, infamous though they are, represent only a minuscule fraction of the entire German network, the new research makes painfully clear.

Read more at NY Times.

What Goes Better With a Locust Swarm, Drawn Butter or BBQ Sauce?

Fried Locusts.

Jerusalem - In the last few days, a devastating plague of locusts, numbering in the tens of millions, has been sweeping across Egypt. In Israel, the Ministry of Agriculture is on full alert. A special hotline has been set up, and the pesticides have been prepared.

Hopefully, modern agricultural technology will help us avoid disasters such as that of 1915, when a plague of locusts in Israel led to much tragedy.

Meanwhile, I have my own early warning system – a friend on military duty near the Egyptian border has promised to call me if swarms arrive. I’d love to see it first-hand, and to catch a couple of hundred to feed to my reptile collection – and to eat myself.

It is commonly overlooked that not only does the Torah permit man to eat certain mammals, birds and fish, but it even permits him to eat certain insects – namely, several types of locusts. The identification of the kosher varieties was lost amongst European Jews, who were not exposed to locust swarms. But Jews from North Africa maintained a tradition regarding kosher locusts.

The expert on identifying kosher species today is my colleague Dr. Zohar Amar, author of Ha-Arbeh b’Mesoret Yisrael . He has identified the species for which there is the most widespread tradition amongst North African Jews as Schistocercia gregaria, the Egyptian desert locust. This is by far the most common species of locust, and it is the species currently swarming in Egypt.

According to many authorities in Jewish law, even Ashkenazi Jews can adopt the North African tradition. This is because it is different from a situation such as that which existed with the stork, where certain communities had a tradition that it was a kosher bird, while others had a tradition that it was a non-kosher bird. With locusts, there is no tradition in Ashkenaz against these types of locusts being kosher; Ashkenazim simply lack a tradition either way. Therefore, according to many authorities, such as the late Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, it is possible to rely upon the North African tradition regarding kosher varieties.

I have eaten locusts on several occasions. They do not require a special form of slaughter, and one usually kills them by dropping them into boiling water. They can be cooked in a variety of ways – lacking any particular culinary skills, I usually just fry them with oil and some spices. (My wife, however, insists that I do not use her kitchen utensils for the task; she is locust-intolerant.) It’s not the taste that is distinctive, so much as the tactile experience of eating a bug – crunchy on the outside with a chewy center!

Read more by Rabbi Nathan Slifkin.

Tastes like chicken!

Two New Jersey Men Indicted in Series of Synagogue Bombings

Graziano and Dalal

NEWARK — Two New Jersey men were formally charged Friday in a series of firebomb attacks on synagogues across northern New Jersey.

A grand jury in Hackensack handed up a 30-count indictment against Aakash Dalal of New Brunswick and Anthony M. Graziano of Lodi, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said.

Graziano faces nine counts of attempted murder stemming from the firebombing of a rabbi’s residence in Rutherford on Jan. 11, 2012. Police said Molotov cocktails were thrown at Congregation Beth El in Rutherford, igniting a fire in the second-floor bedroom of the rabbi’s residence where he, his wife, five children and his parents were sleeping at the time and escaped serious injury.

Both Graziano and Dalal are charged with bias intimidation, conspiracy to commit arson upon a synagogue and aggravated arson. They also face charges related to terrorism, possession of destructive devices and hindering apprehension.

The two were both 19 at the time, and are childhood friends from Lodi. They are facing up to life in prison if convicted on all charges.

Read more at Daily Record.

Scheduling Conflicts Resolved for Basketball Team That Won't Dunk on Shabbos

Beren High School basketball team

HOUSTON — An Orthodox Jewish school that drew national attention when a Texas school organization initially refused to reschedule a semifinal basketball game that conflicted with the Sabbath is back in the state semifinals this weekend. But this time without the controversy.

Beren Academy and its players don't play basketball games between Friday night and Saturday night in observance of the Sabbath. That created a conflict last year when Beren advanced to the semifinals and was scheduled to play at 9 p.m. on a Friday in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial School's 2A boys basketball tournament.

TAPPS at first would not move the game time. But after a group of parents filed a complaint in federal court citing religious discrimination, and the controversy brought national attention to the small Houston school, TAPPS relented. Beren won its semifinal game, rescheduled to Friday afternoon, then lost the championship rescheduled for late Saturday night.

"It was tough, just because it's out of your control in a lot of ways," Beren coach Chris Cole recalled Thursday. "I mean that from a lot of different standpoints. When so many people get involved, you don't have any say in a lot of things that other people decide to do."

This year, Beren will play its semifinal game at 1 p.m. Friday. Although the championship is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, it will be moved to 8 p.m. if the Stars advance.

Cole said he's relieved that his young players won't be at the center of a national debate, and that he won't have to talk to them about the likelihood of not getting to play for a championship because of their religious beliefs. The players were unanimously ready to accept that last year, saying their faith outweighed the chance for athletic glory.

Beren officials met with the TAPPS executive board in June, and TAPPS added a bylaw to its constitution to accommodate schools when the scheduling of athletics events overlaps with religious observances.

Read more at Star-Telegram

Senate Confirms Jack Lew as Secretary of the Treasury

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Jacob Lew to be Treasury secretary, affirming President Barack Obama’s choice of a budget expert at a time when Congress and the White House are at odds over sharp government spending cuts.

The Senate voted 71-26 to support the nomination.

Lew, 57, had most recently served as Obama’s chief of staff. He succeeds Timothy Geithner, who completed a tumultuous four-year term in which he helped lead the administration’s response to the financial crisis and recession.

He takes over just before automatic spending cuts are set to take effect. He’s likely to take part in any negotiations to reverse the cuts, and also in key budget talks next month to continue funding the government.

Lew began his government service in the 1980s as an aide to House Speaker Tip O’Neill. He brings nearly three decades of government service to the job, including two stints as White House budget director.

“Mr. Lew is well-qualified to be the nation’s next Treasury secretary,” said Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana. “He has demonstrated time and again that he has the knowledge and expertise” to deal with the country’s budget problems.

But Republican Sen. Jeff Session of Alabama, who opposed the nomination, said Lew is the architect of the Obama’s administration’s budget. Sessions said that budget doesn’t reduce the deficit enough.

During his confirmation hearing, Lew signaled no major economic policy changes. He advocated a balanced approach to reducing the long-term budget deficit through spending cuts and additional tax revenue.

Read more at Washington Post.

Jack Lew is the first Orthodox Jew appointed as a Cabinet member.

DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Of All The Purim Costumes in the World, Why Did Dov Hikind Go Blackface?

EPIC FAIL: Doofus Hikind and Devil Girl

Dov Hikind apolgizes to everyone in the whole wide world for being a horrible Douche:

Some people have marveled at what they’ve characterized as my insensitivity in wearing the costume I wore on Purim. My initial reaction in learning of this was one of shock because my intention was never to hurt or make fun of anyone. Those who know me—in politics and in my personal life—already know this. But others who don’t know me have expressed hurt and outrage, so I am writing to address that once and for all. Unintentional as they were, I recognize now that the connotations of my Purim costume were deeply offensive to many.

The question that is on the tip of everyone's tongue is why did he even do this in the first place? There are like a bazillion different costume choices that could have been made, Mr. Hikind (who is a freaking politician!) had to go with the one that offends the maximum number of people. 

WHATTA FAIL.

First Sign Language Megillah Reading

Sign language interpreter at Tel Aviv megillah reading

The Institute for the Advancement of the Deaf and the national-religious rabbinic association Tzohar joined together on Purim to hold for the first time a sign-language megila reading for the deaf and hard of hearing.

More than 600 people turned up to the Tel Aviv International Synagogue on Saturday night for the unique reading of the Book of Esther, one of the central customs of Purim.

As the megila was read aloud, a designated translator provided a simultaneous translation into sign language from atop a raised platform at the front of the synagogue.

The event was broadcast live over the Internet by Ynet.

Rabbi Ariel Konstantyn, the founder of the Tel Aviv International Synagogue and head of the community, said that it was important on Purim to include all members of society in the megila reading.

“We were saved on Purim because the Jews came together as a people and through that merit, God acted to deliver us from our enemies,” Konstantyn said.

“This unity is important and we can’t have an element of society missing out on an important experience of the Purim holiday, so this was the motivation behind the megila sign language initiative.”

Yael Kakon, director of the institute, also noted the importance of helping “the deaf and hard of hearing to enjoy the special experience of the Purim megila reading.”

The Purim celebrations at the Tel Aviv International Synagogue also included a Jewish rock concert, an open bar and a communal version of the traditional Purim meal.

In addition to the sign-language reading, Tzohar helped stage 192 megila readings around the country in 100 cities, towns, villages and kibbutzim.

Read more at Jerusalem Post.

Putin Suggests Compromise With Chabad

Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar and President Putin

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin is suggesting that a vast collection of Jewish books and documents that is the focus of a dispute between Moscow and Washington be given a permanent home in the Russian capital’s new Jewish Museum.

A U.S. judge in January ordered that Russia be fined $50,000 a day until it turns over the so-called Schneerson Collection to Chabad Lubavitch, a Hasidic movement within Orthodox Judaism headquartered in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Russia claims the collection is state property. Putin on Tuesday criticized the ruling, saying “discussion of this problem has taken on elements of confrontation,” Russian news agencies reported. The collection is now held at the state library and military archives.

Putin said he would consider ordering the collection be placed at the Jewish museum, which opened last year.

Read more at Washington Post.

If Putin has offered a compromise I think they should take it. 

President Obama to Receive Israel Presidential Medal

Bibi & Barack

Barack Obama will receive one of Israel's most prestigious honours during his upcoming visit to the Middle East. On Monday, the office of the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, announced that Obama will be given the presidential medal of distinction in March.

A statement said that the honour recognised Obama's "unique and significant contribution to strengthening the State of Israel and the security of its citizens".

Obama's political opponents have complained constantly that he has attempted to distance the US from its traditional support of Israel. In the lead up to the presidential election last year the Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, accused Obama of "repeated efforts" to "throw Israel under the bus". Obama's pick for defence secretary has also been criticised, due to comments allegedly made by Chuck Hagel regarding the power of the pro-Israeli lobby in Washington.

Obama's White House has always maintained its support for Israel, but the president has had a tense relationship with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, particularly regarding West Bank settlements and the lack of a peace process with the Palestinians.

Peres and the committee behind the award noted Obama's overall friendship and backing of the Iron Dome missile defence system. Obama's visit to Israel will be his first as president.

Read more at Guardian.

Life Aboard the Cruise Ship From Hell

Cruise Ship in a Yellow Haze

Carnival cruise ship hell continues with passengers told to defecate in plastic bags and urinate in the shower as the stench becomes so overpowering that people fall ill

Conditions causing problems for disabled and elderly passengers on board the Carnival Triumph

Passengers report there is no air conditioning, no diapers for babies, the toilets won't flush and four-hour lines for food

Ship starts to give free alcohol to passengers

Among passengers are 500 McDonalds employees on 'team-building' trip

One passenger reported that 'on deck looks like a shanty town' as passengers slept in the open air to avoid the stench

12 cruises on the Triumph have now been cancelled by company

Medical staff will be waiting on the docks in Mobile to check passengers

Travelers are using what limited cell phone coverage they have to call their families and are reporting overflowing toilets, unbearable smells and scarce food supplies.

The conditions on the Carnival Triumph are causing particular problems for the elderly and the disabled.

The vessel is crawling towards Mobile, Alabama after becoming stranded in the Gulf of Mexico because of an engine fire.

Ms Kerreghan's friend Mary Poret, whose 12-year-old daughter is also on the boat, said that it had been heartbreaking to say goodbye to her on the phone.

She said that they had driven from their homes in Texas to Alabama so that they could welcome their young daughters home. The women had stocked up on food, and if necessary antibiotics for the girls.

The boat is expected to dock between 2.30pm and 4.30pm on Thursday (ET). Medical staff will be on hand to help any passengers that need treatment but there have so far been no reports of anyone seriously ill.

One passenger, Anne Barlow, sent a text message from on board saying that less able passengers were 'struggling', the smell was 'gross' and her room was leaking sewage.

Some of the people on board reported that cabin carpets are soaked in urine, passengers are sleeping in tents on deck and scarce food supplies that has reduced them to eating cold onion sandwiches.

Vacationers were fighting over food, elderly people running out of medications and formula and diaper supplies were limited for babies, according to some reports.

Read more at Daily Mail

So far the passengers have not eaten each other, but we really won't know that until a head count is taken when the stinking hulk reaches port.

Synagogues Compete for Worshippers With Lavish Alcohol Feasts

World's Most Expensive Scotch

Come Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, the atmosphere at Rabbi Sholom Lipskar's synagogue near Bal Harbour, Fla., turns festive. The eating and drinking start early.

Very early.

The synagogue, called The Shul, attracts anywhere from 500 to 800 people each week. Most attend services in the main sanctuary that start around 9 a.m. But some early birds show up for prayers that begin at 7:15 a.m. and conclude by 9:15. Then it is party time for the largely male crowd.

This elegant seaside place of worship is on the cutting edge of the Kiddush—a lavish repast that has helped transform the staid postservice fellowship hour to the kind of boozy, over-the-top spread synonymous with weddings.

Such affairs have become so de rigueur to luring congregants that Rabbi Lipskar has solicited donors for a special "Kiddush bank" to fund the pricey libations and epicurean fare that can cost anywhere from $1,800 to $3,600 per week.

"It is perfect," says Rabbi Lipskar, whose synagogue is part of the Hasidic Lubavitch movement. "God didn't make the delicious stuff only for non-Jews." Those who want a shot of hard liquor—they don't say "let's have a drink," but "let's have a L'chaim," he says, referring to the traditional Jewish toast "to life."

"This is not a drinking fest," he adds. "The drinks are in small cups."

In the face of dwindling attendance at religious services, many rabbis have become similarly creative. At the Bal Harbour shul and other synagogues, the sumptuous food, fine wines and liquors are a way to help draw congregants.

Read more at Wall St. Journal.

It's traditional for members of the congregation to get together after services for a blessing over wine and a small piece of sponge cake, and some pickled herring. But now the trend is to attract new members by offering a lavish spread.

It's not spiritual, it's just spirits.

Haredi Rabbi Sworn in to Knesset as Member of Secular Party

Rabbi Dov Lipman of Yesh Atid

By Jodi Rudoren

Dov Lipman's introduction to the conundrum of the ultra-Orthodox in modern Israel began more than two decades ago, when he was a 19-year-old American student in a Jerusalem yeshiva. It was during the gulf war, with Scud missiles threatening Tel Aviv, yet the prayer for Israeli soldiers that is commonly said daily in synagogues worldwide was not recited at the school.

"I couldn't understand any ideology that justified living here and not praying for the soldiers who are risking their lives for us to be here," said Mr. Lipman, who grew up in Maryland. But when he questioned the yeshiva rabbis about it, he said "they had no answer" beyond "it's complicated - it's politics."

Now, Mr. Lipman is playing a critical role in trying to unravel those complicated politics and integrate the insular ultra-Orthodox into the broader society. They have long lived a world apart: they attend separate schools with a curriculum short on math, science and English; rarely serve in the military; and have large families living on welfare because men study Torah rather than work. He was among the 19 people elected to the Israeli Parliament last month from the new Yesh Atid Party, whose primary platform is to "equalize the burden" between the ultra-Orthodox, known here as Haredim, and the rest of society.

But unlike the party's secular leader - and the vast majority of its voters - Mr. Lipman, an ordained rabbi, has an ultra-Orthodox background and has tried to position himself as a constructive critic from within.

"I share the same value system," Rabbi Lipman said, citing the importance of studying Torah, the "fears about societal influence" and the desire to limit interaction between men and women. "The Haredim have done themselves a disservice by saying it's us against them and we will not be part of Israeli society."

Sworn in on Tuesday as one of 48 first-time lawmakers - the most since the earliest days of Israeli independence - Rabbi Lipman, 41, is the first American-born member of Parliament since Rabbi Meir Kehane was elected in 1984. The new 120-seat body also has more Orthodox members (39 of them) than ever and more women (27), including the first born in Ethiopia, and the youngest member ever elected, Stav Shaffir, who is 27 and was a leader of the 2011 social protest movement.

Rabbi Lipman, an educator and author of three books, is also the first legislator from Beit Shemesh, a city of 80,000 people halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv that became an international symbol of the Haredi conflict when a group of men spit at an 8-year-old girl on her way to school in late 2011 because they considered even her modest dress inappropriate. Rabbi Lipman's activism after that episode and in other Beit Shemesh controversies paved the way for his political future, but also created many critics close to home.

He is beloved by many of the modern Orthodox in Beit Shemesh, but several Haredi leaders here questioned his legitimacy as a spokesman for their community, pointing out that the Yesh Atid Party received 1,273 of the city's 29,593 votes. They also noted that Rabbi Lipman does not pray in a Haredi synagogue or send his children to Haredi schools, and said he did not understand the "nuances" of Haredi culture. Some have called him a "rabbi of Purim," a holiday in which children don costumes.

"He has created a kind of Haredi that allows him to don the black kippa, wear the suit of a yeshiva student, while being part of a party with values that are opposite of the values of the Haredi sector," said Moshe Abutbul, the ultra-Orthodox mayor of Beit Shemesh. "It is as though I would put on a white robe and call myself a doctor."

Read more at NY Times.

Kol hakavod to Dov Lipman!

 

Concentration Camp Slogan Found at Old Detroit Automotive Site

Big letters have been placed on the overpass at the Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit that read in German “Work will make you Free,” concerning some metro Detroiters, given the resemblance to an infamous sign at the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz. It’s unclear who put up the letters.

In capital red letters on a white background, the new sign at the decaying site on Detroit’s east side reads: “Arbeit Macht Frei,” the exact same words at the entrance to the concentration camps in Poland where Jews were forced to work and were murdered. The sign, which was used at other Nazi camps, became well known as an international symbol of cruelty.

“I found it disturbing,” said David Schulman, 53, a Huntington Woods resident who came across the Detroit sign while driving home last week from Belle Isle. His grandmother had family members killed in the Holocaust.

“It’s a form of hate speech,” Schulman said. “It really appalled me.”

An attorney who represents the owner of the plant said he wasn’t aware of the sign until contacted by the Free Press, but now intends to remove it or cover it up.

“This is a disgusting act,” said Troy attorney John Bologna, who represents the plant’s owner Dominic Cristini. Cristini is in a legal dispute with the city over the plant’s ownership.

The sign consists of separate white rectangular pieces for each letter. The style of the lettering in the Detroit sign has specific similarities to the Nazi sign at Auschwitz that made it unique: for example, the upper half of the letter “B” in “Arbeit” (“Work”) is bigger than the lower half, just like it is in Auschwitz.

The letters appear to have been hung there sometime this year, said Schulman. He didn’t notice them when driving about a month ago by the overpass, which sits across East Grand Boulevard near Concord Street.

The plant has become a symbol of Detroit’s industrial decline. Designed by the noted architect Albert Kahn, the Packard Plant used to be an auto manufacturing facility where thousands worked and was a symbol of the strength of blue-collar labor in America’s Midwest.

Read more at Detroit Free Press.